permitted to me to pray, that, if consistent with the Divine will, I may yet see the land again before the close of my pilgrimage, I know that the Most High can accomplish His designs when and how He will, and that all our care should be to dwell in His will, and from day to day to be desiring before and above all things to follow Him. May my heart be daily turned to the remembrance of Redeeming goodness, and imbued with that feeling of love, which would desire even for the Publicans and sinners to behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world,' and to come unto Him. May I dwell under the sense of His fear, and in that become more and more divested of the fear of man, or of any fear that would hinder from growing in grace, and in the knowledge of God, and of Christ Jesus our Lord.

666 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel shall be your rere-ward.' Isaiah, lii. 12. This language has been applied with a power to my mind that cannot be mistaken, as to the source from whence it proceeds; and I have believed that in the prospect toward Sierra-Leone, and in the view of some home duties of deep importance, it is right that I should keep it in remembrance, that not by any power that I can command, will the designs that have been in a degree unfolded before me be promoted, but only as Infinite Wisdom shall guide and open the way, whether in Africa or England.

How much do I feel the need of a supplicating spirit more generally prevalent with me, both in and out of meetings. The sense that this has not been as it should have been, and of the con

sequent lack of spiritual communion, often has caused the evening of the Sabbath to be a time of depression. Ah! when shall I know the intercourse with the Father of lights,' from whom comes every good and perfect gift, to be so open and unobstructed, as to give that perfect peace which is the result of having the mind staid on Him, and to dwell in this peace from hour to hour, and to know its predominance in my lying down, and in my earliest and mid-day thoughts and avocations. I do not say that my mind is wholly a stranger to this precious privilege, but I greatly desire its more general dominion in me, and a greater fidelity to the unfoldings of that light which would in all circumstances rightly guide. Let me not forbear to acknowledge, that since the conclusion to proceed to Africa, I have often been favoured with a degree of consolation and quiet, truly strengthening and supporting. All I have to desire is great watchfulness unto prayer, and great fidelity in waiting for, and in following the Divine guidance in all my ways. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy steps,' is a truth which my heart at this moment feels.

"How earnestly ought I to supplicate for power to remain tranquil and resigned on our way to the scene of so deep an interest; and even before setting out, patiently to pursue the duties of each hour to the best of my apprehension, still resting in the assurance that Divine Providence is opening the way for the introduction of Christianity in its pure and peaceable principles, into lands now depopulated by the miseries of a cruel and desolating warfare. Oh! that the people might be

brought so to love the Lord our God with all the heart that they may join sincerely in the heavenly anthem, 'Peace on earth whilst they sing, 'Glory to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest! Peace on earth, good will toward

men.'

"After various delays I set sail on the 11th of 11mo. in the St. Andrews, in company with the missionary friends before mentioned, and we were permitted after a rapid passage to land at SierraLeone, the 9th of 12mo. 1827.

"In anchoring at this port, the fine view of Free Town, in which are many handsome buildings, the fresh and beautiful foliage of the trees in its vicinity, and the mountains covered with verdure, rising with majestic grandeur in the bounds of our view, presented a scene so interesting, that together with the attraction felt towards the dear children on the coast, it was not easy to imagine there could be any unconquerable difficulty as to European residence in the country; still it could not be concealed from the most sanguine, that even in approaching these shores, the influence of the heat was felt to be greatly relaxing, and experience must confirm the conviction of the precariousness of European life on this coast, and of the great claim which the instruction of native teachers presents for the prompt and efficient help of the friends of Africa.

"It was a great comfort to us soon to meet some of our dear friends on shore. With some of the missionaries I had been previously acquainted in England, and with others had had the advantage of friendly, open communication on the way, on subjects of importance and of mutual interest. My kind friends J. and A. Weeks invited me imme

diately to take up my abode with them. Although their hospitality and friendship in this distant land were truly consoling, and I felt it as a claim for thankfulness to Him, who is present to help and protect, as well when far from near relatives and home as in any other circumstances, yet I could not at once conclude upon anything more than to remain with them for the present, and wait to see whether Free Town, or the village districts, would be most favourable for pursuing the objects in view.

"On the day after our landing, I visited the Free Town Eastern School. The school contained about two hundred children, boys on one side and girls on the other. The room had been built for the purpose, ample and commodious, and very pleasantly situated near the sea. The scholars are chiefly the children of the American settlers, together with a few others sent from native districts in the vicinity of Sierra-Leone, and boarded in Free Town at the expense of their parents, for the advantage of having them sent to the day-schools. The attention and intelligence of the boys in this school delighted me; and never had I seen a company of children, in any school, whose countenances struck me as more expressive of a lively disposition to imbibe instruction. They answered questions from the Scriptures with readiness, as also on other subjects of interest, and evidently enjoyed the opportunity given them of receiving further in

struction.

66

The engagements I had in view in Sierra-Leone were, first, the obtaining of an outline of the principal languages spoken by the liberated Africans and others in the colony, so as, by taking down in writing, in an easy and distinct orthography, the

numerals and some of the leading words, to identify as far as may be practicable the dialects of the different tribes,-to form an idea of the number of distinct languages spoken in Sierra-Leone, and to consider what prospect there might be of proceeding to reduce those of most importance to a written form also to prepare such an outline for elementary instruction in each language, as might introduce the pupils in the liberated African schools to a better knowledge of English than they at present possess.

:

"The school-vacation at Free Town having commenced soon after my arrival, my friends J. and A. Weeks kindly accompanied me to several villages in pursuance of the object in view. The first place we visited was Wellington, of which Thomas Macfoy, a native of the West Indies, is superintendent. From his register of the names and native countries of the people under his care, I found an unexpected facility in obtaining a knowledge of how many tribes were resident in the village, and the number of persons belonging to each. From these various tribes T. M. sent for the most intelligent individuals as interpreters. Besides Wellington, we visited in this engagement, Allen's Town, Leopold, Regent, and Gloucester. Sketches were taken down of the numbers, and of some leading words in twenty-five languages; and J. W. suggested, that by an arrangement which would present at one view, a few words in each language, one elementary book might serve for a whole school, although the children might be of many different tribes. The idea was adopted, and thirty distinct dialects were taken down, and have since been presented to